Xavi dreaming of Club World Cup semi-finals

Bacary Sagna still harbours hope of an unlikely call-up for France s World Cup squad after choosing the heart and soul of football over money by joining Serie A strugglers Benevento.

Sagna had been without a club since leaving Manchester City at the end of last season, as Pep Guardiola s defensive clear-out saw the Frenchman not offered a new contract.

With a wealth of experience to offer, Sagna had been linked with a host of clubs across the globe following his release by City.

But the France international opted for Benevento, despite their ominous position at the bottom of the Serie A table, having picked up just seven points from 22 matches.

Sagna acknowledges his decision may surprise some, but he believes choosing Benevento allows him to get back in …

Romania coach Victor Piturca has left Cristi Chivu and Adrian Mutu out of his 22-man squad unveiled on Monday for 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and the Faroe Islands.

Romania captain Chivu is still recovering from a shoulder operation, while striker Mutu, just back from an elbow injury, hurt his ribs during training on Saturday with his Italian club Fiorentina.

Both also missed last month s friendly win over Latvia.

Also missing for the first two qualifiers are Shakhtar Donetsk s Razvan Rat, Florentin Petre of Russian club Grozny and Steaua Bucharest s George Ogararu.

Romania, who are in Group 7 along with France, Serbia and Austria, host Lithuania on September 6 in the northwestern city of Cluj and travel to the Faroe Islands four days…

Joe Cole has warned his England team-mates not to underestimate Croatia for the second tournament in a row as they prepare for a World Cup qualifier in Zagreb on Wednesday.

Cole, who came off the bench to score twice against Andorra on Saturday, hopes his decisive intervention in England s opening qualifier will result in him being promoted to the starting line-up for a match that could really set the tone in the battle for top spot in group six.

England lost 2-0 in Zagreb two years ago in a Euro 2008 qualifying match and went on to miss out on a place in the finals as Croatia topped the group ahead of Russia.

But Chelsea midfielder Cole, who also scored as a substitute against the Czech Republic last month, believes England have learned from their mistakes.<…

Hugo Lloris hopes to help Tottenham stamp their name in Champions League history as he aims to lift a major trophy for a second successive year.

Having already captained France to glory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Lloris can complete an impressive double with victory over Liverpool on Saturday in Madrid.

Spurs produced a stunning comeback to squeeze past Ajax on away goals and set up an all-English final in Europe s premier club competition, with their goalkeeper honoured to be leading the side out at the Wanda Metropolitano.

First of all, it s a privilege to be part of this successful team, Lloris said at a pre-match press conference.

To win the World Cup was a massive achievement and it would not be possible without the help of my team-mates, …

Jerome Boateng has revealed he rejected an offer from Barcelona as he felt he is equally capable of winning European titles at Bayern Munich.

The former Manchester City and Hamburg man has been key to Bayern s recent domestic dominance and also won the UEFA Champions League in 2013.

I really don’t know exactly how much Barcelona offered for me in detail, but it’s true that I received an offer [from them], Boateng told Sport Bild.

If a club like Barca shows interest in you then of course it’s a huge honour.

I never really considered it, at this time I was preparing for the new season with Bayern. 

Today, you no longer have to go from Bayern to Barcelona if you want to win the Champions League.

Pep Guardiola s side are on cou…

Bayern Munich centre-back Holger Badstuber never doubted that he would eventually return from his injury nightmare.

The 25-year-old played for the first time since 2012 when he featured for an hour in the German champions 3-0 friendly win over the Red Baroons fan club on Friday.

Badstuber ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Borussia Dortmund in December 2012 and suffered a recurrence of the injury in May last year.

Despite enduring a prolonged spell on the sidelines, Badstuber was always confident he would return and claims he is now playing pain free.

No, there was no doubt [that I might not return from injury]. I always knew I d get a chance here, playing free of any pain. I always looked forward and was very focused, he said.

I do…

Women s club football in Europe is at a critical juncture but can soar to stunning new heights over the next decade, a new report from UEFA has disclosed.

Its commercial value can grow sixfold to €686million by 2033 and club sponsorship could swell to €295million by the same point, according to European football s governing body.

The developing professional leagues across Europe remain at an early stage of growth, emphasised by the fact spending on international player transfers topped €2m for the first time last year.

UEFA published its Business Case for Women’s Football on Tuesday, with the women s game planning to capitalise on the success of international tournaments such as Euro 2022 by aiming to steer supporters and investors towards the clubs …

Mateo Retegui s instant impact for Italy has left Roberto Mancini considering exploring further options for the Azzurri through the dual-citizenship ruling.

Argentina-born Retegui scored on his international debut for Italy in Thursday s 2-1 defeat to England and found the net again in the 2-0 victory over Malta three days later in Euro 2024 qualifying.

The striker s selection has sparked debate closer to home with Azzurri striker Mario Balotelli previously suggesting Mancini has enough attacking options to call upon from Italy.

But head coach Mancini has been encouraged by Retegui s early development and refused to rule out making similar moves in future.

He said at his post-match press conference: Retegui is a goalscorer, it s no small thing. It s what …

Jack Wilshere could be available for Arsenal s Premier League match against Stoke City on Sunday despite withdrawing from international duty with England.

Wilshere missed Friday s 1-0 win over Netherlands in Amsterdam due to a tendon problem in his knee and the issue has not cleared up in time for him to face Italy at Wembley on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old s return to form and the Arsenal first team has put him in the frame for a place in Gareth Southgate s squad in Russia and the England boss believes Wilshere should be in a position to continue that work this weekend.

I ve no reason to believe that he won t be back for their next game, Southgate told a news conference to preview the Italy game.

It s an ongoing issue that he has to manage. He wasn t going…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is desperate for success with the LA Galaxy, saying the lion is hungry as he prepares for his MLS debut.

Ibrahimovic, 36, arrived in Los Angeles Thursday after signing a deal with the Galaxy following his stint at Manchester United.

The striker only made seven appearances for United this season after returning from a serious knee injury.

But Ibrahimovic, who could debut against rivals Los Angeles FC Saturday, said he was eager to deliver for the Galaxy.

I know it s been a long break for me without rhythm due to my injury but I just want to go out and smell the grass and touch the ball, he said.

After training I asked if I could go and shoot some balls. I feel young, I feel like Benjamin Button. I was born old and now I feel …